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NEW SMYRNA, VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 1916. 


Ithe past, present and 

FUTURE OF NEW SMYRNA 

interesting Paper Read by John Y. Detwiler at Meeting of 
Men’s Fellowship Club Held at the Baptist 
Church Last Night. 























Papers on past, present and future 
I of New Smyrna furnished the princi¬ 
pal topic at the meeting of the Men's 
Fellowship club held in the Baptist 
church last night, John Y. Detwiler 
1 being the speaker who discussed the 
past, present and future of this com¬ 
munity. A 

There was not as large an attend¬ 
ance at the meeting as had been ex¬ 
pected, owing to other attractions, but 
it was an interested audience who lis¬ 
tened to the papers r-ead by Mr. Det¬ 


wiler, who has made a .consistent 
study, of the history of New Smyrna, 
and is well qualified to handle this 
subject. 

The speaker took up the recent re¬ 
quest of the St. Augustine Chamber of 
Commerce for authority for the state¬ 
ment that New Smyrna antedates St. 
Augustine, and quoted historical ref¬ 
erences to prove that New Smyrna 
was settled several months before the 
present St. Augustine was founded. 

Mr. Detwiler’s papers were, in full, 
as follaws: 


Mr. President, Ladies, and Fellow Citizens of New Smyrna, Fla.: 

The occasion upon which we are assembled, is one of more than ordinary 
importance to the citizens of New Smyrna, as well as those of the state of 
Florida; in fact to every American, who, in the search for historical truths, 
leaves no legitimate effort pass, whereby, in his own locality as well as in the 
surrounding country, authentic records of its past history may be obtained. 
Nowhere, in any of our sister states, are there more interesting archaeolog¬ 
ical, or those of prehistoric animal remains, than our beloved state of Flor¬ 
ida. Pages could be written upon these two subjects, but the early history 
cf the location of what is now known as New Smyrna, its earliest settlement, 
by Pedro Menendez de Aviles, under the name of St. Augustine, the erection 
cf the prehistoric fort and the Old Spanish Mission, heretofore unrecorded in 
the annals of history. 

To me, unexpectedly, has been assigned a privilege to contribute of my 
meagre knowledge, relative to the antiquities that we find in our immediate 
neighborhood. Antiquities that even tradition furnishes no record of, and, 
under these circumstances, is it to be wondered at that a feeling of inca¬ 
pacity asserts itself, fearing my inability to do the subject justice in the 
face of world-wide criticism? 

New Smyrna, and its past history, was the subject assigned me, but 
owing to the inability of the gentlemen to whom the subjects of New 
Smyrna, its present, also the future of New Smyrna and two additional 
papers, to respond, the three topics were included in the one paper, to 
which I respectfully call your attention, hoping in the time consumed to 
: furnish both entertainment and instruction. 

It will be remembered that the first newspaper published in New Smyr¬ 
na, Volusia county, Florida, was the New Smyrna Breeze, the date of the 
first issue was May 5, 1887. The leading topic was New Smyrna, its past, 
present and future, by the editor who now furnishes this article. 

In archaeological researches which became necessary to intelligently 
describe an almost hithert ounknown locality, abundant evidences of pre¬ 
historic occupation was found, as well as more modern ruins, evidently of 
both English and Spanish occupation. The enthusiasm once acquired has 
never abated. 

Conditions permitting a visit to Havana, Cuba, also to the Spanish Mis¬ 
sions in California, of which Florida anticipated that of Arizona and New* 
Mexico eight years, opportunity -was afforded to meet the highest American 
authorities—-both Catholic and Protestant—also access to the celebrated 
Pancroft library, a reference to books relating to the subject and a casual 
inspection thereof; a meeting with individuals, who now are engaged in 
Seville, Spain, translating records who are now personal correspondents, 
all afforded opportunity which finally resulted in the culmination of the 
desire of years past, which I now submit to you for your investigation and 
| criticism, which I hope will result in some action of this or some other so¬ 
ciety whereby this good work may continue indefinitely, and New Smyrna 
and the county of Volusia which is so abundantly replete w r ith objects and 
locations of historical nature, besides the evidences of early Spanish occu¬ 
pation that it will not be necessary for us to become subsidiary to any 
other historical society whatever, but will stand out singly and alone as 
being it, as we possess all the evidence to prove the position taken. 

Among the authorities cited relative to the subject upon which I am 
dwelling are William Bartrams travels through east and w 7 est Florida in 
1777, during the English occupation, a copy of which I am indebted to Dr. 
E. H. Sellards for, state geologist of Florida. 

Fairbanks History, from 1512, to the close of the Florida war in 1842. 

“France and England in North America,” by Francis Parkman. 

History of the Catholic Missions among the Indian tribes of the United 
States, 1529-1854, by John Gilmary Shea. 

Also two volumes entitled “The Spanish Settlements in the United 


States,” 1513-1561, and Florida, 1562-1574. 

The three latter volumes have been furnished me to continue my re¬ 
searches, by Rt. Rev. M. J. Curley, bishop of the diocese of St. Augustine, 
Who also provided the necessary credentials upon my late visit to the Cath¬ 
olic Missions in California. JJu. 

Passing that part of early Spanish history previous to March 20, 1565, 
on which date the authority was given to Pedro Menendez de Aviles to un¬ 
dertake the conquest of Florida, he was directed to equip six sloops of fifty 
tons each, and four smaller vessels, taking with him the San Pelayo, a large 
ship of 600 tons, on which to transport the colonists across the ocean. The 

I Colonists were to number 500, 100 should be solcliers, 100 sailors, and the bal- 

I ^ nee officials and artisans, such as stone cutters, carpenters, locksmiths, 

I Lawyers, smiths and barbers, all fully armed. Two hundred of the settlers 
were to be married and at least 100 w'ere to be laborers and farmers. The 
company w r as to include four members of the Society of Jesus, with ten or 

1 tw r elve monks of any order he saw fit, and he was granted the privilege of 

transporting to Florida 500 negro slaves taken from Spain, Portugal, the 
Cape Verde Islands or Guinea, of whom one-third were to be women, to as¬ 
sist in the construction of the towns, the cultivation of the land, the plant- 
|1 ing of sugar cane and tlie manufacturing of sugar. 

He was especially enjoined to see that none of his colonists were con- 
j laminated by heresy, and that there were no Je\vs, Moors or Marranos 
(Christianized Jews) among them. 

He was ordered to take with him 100 horses and mares, 20Q sheep, 400 ! 
swine, 400 lambs and some goats, with what other stock he saw fit. 

He was ordered to reconnoitre the Gulf coast of the peninsula, and from 
the Florida Keys as far north as New Foundland, and to make a full- report 
upon the . ports, currents, rocks, shoals and bays of the same, and finally 
came the main purpose of the assiento, the expulsion of the French. 

Spain being at peace with France, Frenchmen could not openly be named j 
as having invaded Spanish territory which might be construed as a formal I 
threat against the French government in the face of its solemn protestations 
that it harbored no designs upon Florida. It was necessary, therefore, to 
disguise the instructions under a comprehensive term which should include 
the case of the French colonists without attributing their irregular action 
to the connivance of the French crown, and Aviles w r as directed .to ascertain 
“if in the said coast or land there w r ere settlers or corsairs or other nations 
whatsoever not subject to us,” and to “seek to drive them out by w 7 hat 
means you see fit.” 

Here follows conditions under which Aviles obligated himself, and the 
emoluments and opportunities in trade that w r ere offered: 

A foot note under pages 143-144, chapter VIII, volume 2, “Lowrie for 
j Florida,” in the Spanish language, furnishes citations from records in Mad- 
| rid, Spain, of the foregoing extracts. As it is not possible in the brief space 
of time allotted to cover the subjects w 7 hich are of the most vital impor¬ 
tance to the matter of efetablishing the fact that New Smyrna w r as the lo¬ 
cation of the first settlement of Europeans in America, brief extracts from 
the volumes previously mentioned will be made w r ith such comments as 
may be found necessary to accomplish the end in view. 

Aviles set sail from Cadiz on the 28th day of July, 1565, reaching the 
Canaries the 5th of the ensuing month and after some delay he arrived 
at Porto Rico on the 8th of August. 

His fleet becoming separated, he sailed from Porto Rico with only five 
vessels on the 15tli of August with 800 souls of. which 500 w r ere soldiers, 
200. mariners, “the other hundred being of useless people,” as he called 
them, “married men, women, children and officials.” He arrived at Santo 
Domingo Aug. 17, 1565. 

Sunday, Aug 25th, the peninsula was made off. Canaveral and four days 
were spent sailing along the coast in search of the French port. Failing 
! to discover it, Menende/, at last sent ashore to learn of the Indians wdiere 
it lay and was informed by signs that it was 20 leagues to the north. Coast¬ 
ing along eight leagues farther, Menendez came upon the harbor of the river 
Of Dolphin's, previously visited by Laudonniere, into w r hich he entered and 
gave it the name of St. Augustine, having discovered it on the festival of 
! that saint, the 28th of August. 















I 




At what point on the coast was Menendez when he inquired of the 
Indians? Fort Caroline, afterwards San Mateo, now St. Augustine, is dis¬ 
tant from New Smyrna inlet by latitude 49 miles. From Fort Caroline 
south 20 leagues would bring the Indian village at Eldora, or Turtle Mound 
—the greatest land mark south of Amelia Island. This point is evidently 
where he made his inquiry. ' * 

Appendix B, page 389, Lowrie, discusses the probable location of the 
“Rievere de Mai,” Ribault places in latitude 30 degrees, referred to.by Chan- 
tone as Ribera de las Conentes in letter to Phillip II, January 24, 1563. 

Hawkins, visiting Laudonniere’s settlement in 1564, found the river 
“standing in 30 degrees and better.” Let us then compare the locations as 
given by later voyagers, as the latitudes of thes everal places under dis¬ 
cussion. Joan de Herriera, 1576. See appendix U, page 439, Lowrie Florida. 
Reference, Biblioteca Naceonal Madrid MSS 4541, fol. 87, giving the lati¬ 
tudes of St. Augustine in 29 degrees, of San Mateo in 30 degfees of San 
Elena in 32 degrees and of Guale, “which is between San Mateo and Santa 
Elena,” in 32 degrees, 20 minutes. 

The location of the several light houses, according to the U. S. coast 
survey, are as follows: 

Canaveral: 28 deg., 27 min., 37 sec. 

St. Augustine: 29 deg., 53 min., 07 sec. San Mateo: 30 deg. 

Mosquito Inlet: 29 deg., 04 min., 49 sec. St. Augustine: 29 deg. 

St. Johns River: 30 deg., 23 min., 27 sec. 

Amelia Island: 30 deg., 40 min., 23 sec. 

Appendix B, page 393, Lowrie, Florida, states: 

“Laudonniere, in 1564, on the second French expedition, established Fort 
Caroline on the Riviere de Mai (see page 57 in this volume). 

“From this he was driven out by Menendez Aviles, who changed the 
name of the fort to that of San Mateo, which name was in consequence 
given to the river and the Spanish settlement of San Mateo, which grew 
up on the right bank of the river, near its mouth, has retained its name 
down through the first quarter of the. 19th century!” 

In chapter IX, relating to the capture of Fort Caroline, pp. 158-159, the 
following citations are made: 

“The three Spanish vessels which took the southerly course in pursuit 
of the remaining French ship, continued all night. Menendez had ordered 
them to rejoin him at the mouth of the St. Johns in the morning, and if un¬ 
able to do so to return to St. Augustine. But a storm arose and they were 
obliged to cast anchor off the coast, the vessels being so smalr they did 
not dare to take to spa. 

“One of the three brokeaway, and while in this peril a French ship was 
sighted and they were in terror of being boarded, but she did not attack 
them, although she hove to within a leagu£. 

“The following day, September 6, after sighting a second French vessel, 
they made for a harbor near At hand, which proved to be that of St. Augus¬ 
tine, and on landing found that the other two vessels had preceded them, 
having also arrived the same day (Sept. 6). 

“The harbor was near the village of "an Indian chief named Seloy, who 
received them with much kindness. The Spaniards at once went to work 
to fortify a large Indian dwelling, probably a communal house of the na¬ 
tives, which lay near the water’s edge. They dug a ditch around it and 
threw up a breastwork of earth and faggots, ‘these two good captains of 
ours,’ Patino and San Vincente, ‘working with such industry, that 'with only 
the nails of their soldiers, and without other tools, they made a fort foi; 
their defense. Says Mendoza: “And this was the birth of St. Augustine, 
the oldest city in the United States. 

“Its ancient site can no longer be determined, but it is known to 
have been such that it did not command the entrance to the harbor, could 
not be discovered from the sea, and was much exposed to the attacks of the 
Indians. When m Mav the following year, the settlement was moved to a 
more advantageous position, the first location received its name of Old St. 
Augustine from the Spaniards.” Aviles at once began disembarking his 
troops landing 200 of them. On Friday the 7th he sent his three smaller 
ships into the harbor and 300 more colonists were landed, along with the 
married men, their wives and children, and most of the artillery and ammu¬ 
nition. On Saturday, Ladies' Day, September 8th, the balance of the colo¬ 
nists, 100 in number, and supplies, were put ashore. Then the general him¬ 
self landed amidst the waving of flags, the sounding of trumpets and other 
instruments of war and the salutes of the artillery. The chaplain, Mendoza, 


who had gone ashore the previous day, advanced to meet him chanting the 
Te deum Laudamus and carrying a cross, which Aviles and those with him 
reverently kissed, falling upon their knees. Then Menendez took possession 
in the king’s name. The mass of Our Lady was solemnly chanted and the 
oath was administered to the various officials in the presence of a large con¬ 
course of friendly Indians who imitated all the postures of the Spaniards. 
The ceremony was concluded by the serving out of food to colonist and In¬ 
dian alike. The negro slaves were quartered in the huts of the Indian vil- * 
lage and the work on the defenses was proceeded with.” 

“While this was in progress, two of Ribaut’s ships, which the Spaniards 
had chased on the night of September 4th, made a demonstration at the 
mouth of the harbor offering combat to the San Pelayo, and the San Salva¬ 
dor, which were unable to cross the bar on account of their size and lay 
outside in a very exposed situation. But the challenge was not accepted 
and after watching from a distance the landing of the troops, the French¬ 
men sailed away the same afternoon and returned to the mouth of the St. 
Johns. 

“Menendez was in fear lest Ribaut should return and attack his fleet 
while he was- unloading, and perhaps capture the San Pelayo, which carried 
the major part of his supplies and ammunition, and he also was most an¬ 
xious to send two of his sloops back to Havana for reinforcements. For this 
reason the unloading was pushed rapidly forward. 

“In the meantime he strengthened his position and sought what inform¬ 
ation he could obtain of the situation of the French fort from the Indians. 
They told him that it could be reached from the head of the harbor of St. 
Augustine without going by sea, indicating probably, a way by North river 
and Pablo creek.” 

This conjecture as to reaching Fort Caroline (later San Mateo), at 
that time occupied by Laudonniere, from the original St. Augustine, in lati¬ 
tude 29 degrees, now New Smyrna, is apparently wrong, as in 1739 war was 
declared by Great Britain against Spain. Oglethorpe commanded an expe¬ 
dition against New St. Augustine, and on the 19th day of June summoned 
the Spanish garrison to surrender, and up to the 6h of July the garrison 
and people had received no injury, though greatly pressed for provisions. 
The inlet at Mosquito, latitude 29, had not been blockaded by Oglethorpe. 
Supplies were obtained from Cuba, the fort reinforced by the inland water 
way as stated to Menendez by the Indians 174 years previously, apparently 

refutes the practicability of the route via North river and Pablo creek, 
which would be north of the present site of St. Augustine. 

The river of Dolphins is generally supposed to be the confluence of the 
North and Mantanzas rivers. Chapter IX, “The Capture of Fort Caroline/’ 
page 164, I cite as follows: <y“* 

Meanwhile the French at Fort Caroline had remained without news 
of the outcome of the attack. But on the appearance of two of his vessels 
at the mouth of the St. Johns, Ribaut went down the river to learn what 
had happened. He met on his way a boatload of men returning from one of 
the ships, who told him of their encounter with the Spaniards and informed 
him that they had seen three of he enemy’s ships in the river of Dolphins 
and two more in the roads, where the Spaniards had disembarked and where 
they were fortifying their position. * * * The river evidently was 

the Matanzas, then called the St. John. The river of Dolphins, from the 
above citation, was the Halifax and North Indian rivers. Three ships were 
inside the harbor. The San Pelayo and San Salvador being the vessels 
outside in the roadway, they being unable to cross the bar. Cross narra¬ 
tives sometimes establish facts. 

The voyage of Don Hernando De Manrique de Rojas in the latter half 
of May, 1564, sent in search of the columns erected by Ribaut with 25 men, 
he struck the Florida coast below Cape Canaverel ‘in latitude 27 deg., 30 
min. Sailing by day and as near as possible to the shore he reached the 
Rio de la Cruz in 29 deg., probably Mosquito river. He struck Matanzas in¬ 
let in 29 deg., 30 min., where he arrived the 25th. He was in the Rio de las 
Corrientes, probably the mouth of the St. Johns river, the 26th. May 29 he ar¬ 
rived at St. Helena, latitude 32, but he searched in vain for the fort of the 
French settlers. 

Let us return to the expedition of Laudonniere, who succeeded Ribaut in 
the colonization of Florida, which set sail April 22, 1564, struck the low- 
lying coast of Florida on Thursday, June 22, in the neighborhood of St. 
Augustine ( lat. 29). Laudonniere reconnoitred the entrance to the harbor 
(ailed Seloy by the natives, and named by him Hie river of Dolphins, but 
finding it unsuited to his purpose, set sail on the following day and two days 
later reached the river of May, the St. Johns. Here he went ashore and met 
Saturibu, an Indian chief whom he had met there on .the occasion of Ri- 










baut’s first visit. After several days exploration, with general consent the 
expedition returned to the river of May. A spot was selected for the erec¬ 
tion of a fort. * * * It was named Fort Caroline in honor of Charles IX. 

See pp. 54-57, Lowrie, Florida. 

September 8th, Ribaut embarked and on the 10th sailed away to at¬ 
tack St. Augustine with his 200 sailors and 400 soldiers, which included the 
flower of the soldiers at Fort Caroline. Two days later a storm arose so 
violent that the Indians themselves declared it to be the worst they had 
ever seen on the coast. Menendez at once realized that the proper time 
had presented itself for an attack upon the fort. He recounted the advan¬ 
tages which the moment presented for an attack upon Fort Caroline with 
its defenses weakened by the absence of Ribaut and his inability to return 
against the contrary wind, which in his judgment would continue several 
days. His plan was to reach the fort through the forest and to attack it. 
The remaining part of the narrative is history, and the foregoing citations, 
perhaps somewhat disconnected, will serve to locate the original site of 
the St. Augustine of Menendez, as well as the River of May, of Ribaut and 
Laudonniere to New Smyrna, the location of the original fort erected by 
Menendez de Aviles in September 1565 and removed to San Mateo in lati¬ 
tude 29 deg., 53 min, nine months later. The Spanish Mission, though 
somewhat the worse for the centuries' that have elapsed, up to the present 
time is still in better condition than the remains of many of the Spanish 
Missions of California, Arizona and New Mexico, all of which have been 
erected by authority eight years subsequent to the Mission at the original 
St. Augustine, now known as New Smyrna. 

References and citations as to dates of the several expeditions subse¬ 
quent to the discovery of Florida by Ponce De Leon in 1512: 

Ribaut, commanding the first French expedition, set out February 
16, 1562. He struck the eastern shore of Florida in latitude 29 deg., 30 min. 
north, off a headland called French Cape, about the vicinity of Mound 
Grove, Volusia county, Florida (a large Indian village). 

Rene de Laudonniere was selected for the commander of the new ven¬ 
ture. He was one of Ribaut’s companions in the first attempt. The colon¬ 
ists set sail April 22, 1564. He struck the Florida coast June 22, 1564, in 
the neighborhood of St. Augustine, entered the harbor, named it the river 
of Dolphins. Finding it unsuitable for his purposes, set sail the following 
day and two days later reached the river of May, the St. John. See page 
54, Lowrie, Florida. -■ *- «. * <. ... . A. .•*, 

In May, 1564, Don Hernando de Manrique de Rojas, set sail with a com¬ 
pany Of 25 men to destroy the columns erected by Ribaut, expel the settlers 
and destroy the fort. He struck the coast near Canaveral in 
latitude 27 deg., 30 nlltb Sailing he reached the Rio de la Cruz in latitude 
29 deg., probably Mosquito rivdL See pp. 45-46, Lowrie. 

May 10, 1565, Jean Ribaut, fri command of five vessels, with authority 
to supercede Laudonniere in charge of Fort Caroline, arriving about August 
28, 1565. Tuesday September 4, on the arrival of the Spanish fleet, the 
I-rench vessels cut their cables and sailed away. See page 100, Lowrie, 
Florida. 

July 28, 1565, MeneiideZ set sail from Cadiz, struck Florida coast off 
Cape Canaveral Aug. 25, 1565, and entered Harbor St. Augustine, latitude 29 
deg. September 6, and erected defenses. 

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 

.1st. The present existence of the old fort and Spanish Mission at New 
Smyrna, which cannot be denied. 

2nd. The narative of William Bartram giving the location of the shell 
mound at New Smyrna in 1765, with no habitation or cleared field except 
a wide avenue extending to the savanna. This was evidently the parade 
ground and gave communication to the Mission edifice, which fronts to the 
west apparently then on the banks of an open lagoon, extending from Spruce 
creek to Indian river. 


3rd. The location of the rock house, commanding the inlet, which the 
fort did not—also the similarity of the name to “ Sorrochos” and F. Sor- 
rochos river and town as shown on the map published by De Bry in 1591. 
See chapter II, page 28, Lowrie, Florida. 

4th. The latitude of St. Augustine, given as 29 deg. by Herriera, of 
San Mateo as 30 deg. in 1576, compared. See appendix “U,” page 439, 
Lowrie. Note latitudes of same locations by U. S. coast survey. 

5th. Laudonniere reconnoitre of Thursday, June 22, 1564. Harbor call¬ 
ed “Seloy,” named it River of Dolphins. Two days’ sail, reached River of 
May. Erected a fort called Caroline (see page 58 Lowrie). Was driven out 
by Menendez, who changed the name of the fort to San Mateo. (Latitude 
SO deg., appendix “C” page 393.) 

6th. Ribaut, who commanded at Fort Caroline, was informed by return¬ 
ing men from one of the ships of the encounters with the Spaniards. 
They had seen three of the enemy’s ship at the river of Dol¬ 
phins and two more in the roads where the Spaniards had disembarked and 
were fortifying their position. See pp. 164-5, Lowrie, Florida. 

7th. September 8, 1565, Ribaut embarked. On the 10th he' 

sailed from Fort Caroline to attack St. Augustine. A counter attack by 
land captured Fort Caroline during the existing storm, to the destruction of 
the French. 

In recapitulation of the several expeditions to Florida, both Spanish 
and French, the date of their sailing, their arrival to the designated desti¬ 
nations, which appear to be specifically stated as to latitude. The naming 
of the several rivers, which are given as the River of Dolphins and the River 
cf May, the former being named by Laudonniere, on latitude 29 deg., the 
latter as the location of Fort Caroline, Avhich now would be the Matanzas, 
the St. Johns, the North river, which might then be open by way of Pablo 
creek, and the present St. Johns was at that time known as the Rio de La 
Corrientes. We, the residents of New Smyrna should display enough in¬ 
terest to secure legislative and congressional assistance, if possible, by ap¬ 
propriation, or otherwise, to purchase these most important Spanish anti¬ 
quities. Also to procure translations of the Spanish records at both Madrid 
and Seville, Spain. The first effort necessary to the end is the formation 
of an historical society, stating its objects, based upon the facts, which are 
herewith presented. 

With apologies for the time taken to satisfactorily demonstrate from 
reliable authorities our claim that New Smyrna, under its original name of 
St. Augustine, is the oldest settlement in America. I submit the statement 
for your intelligent consideration. 

JOHN Y. DETWILER. 

Honorary Member, Florida Historical -Society. 


NEW SMYRNA—PAST, PRESENT 

AND FUTURE 
The Future of New Smyrna 
A partial history of the past of New 
Smyrna has been the subject of a pa¬ 
per, as well as that of New Smyrna 
of the present, prepared for the edi¬ 
fication and information of my fel¬ 
low citizens at the request of your 
honorable president and secretary, 
but as prophecy up to this late day 
has not been one of my accomplish¬ 
ments, it would seem out of place to 
begin now. 

It is said that “history repeats 
itself.” and also that what has been 


can be produced again under like con¬ 
ditions and environments. 

In the topographical conditions sur¬ 
rounding New Smyrna and its immed¬ 
iate vicinity there are unbounded op¬ 
portunities to progress, which are as 
easily recognized at the present time 
as was possible a generation, or even 
a century, ago. Nature has accom¬ 
plished much for the locality, which 
was personally recognized by me 
many years ago. 

The confluence of two navigable riv¬ 
ers invariably, in time, will insure the 

(Continued on Page 8.) 
















location of a city of some commercial 
importance. In addition, there is an 
opening into the Atlanticf'’* ocean, 
which eventually will attract the com¬ 
merce of nations. This inlet has 
never been closed within the memory 
of man and was instrumental in fur¬ 
nishing succor and relief to the Span¬ 
ish garrison during the war with Eng¬ 
land. During the Civil war it afforded 
opportunity to communicate with the 
outside world, as well as during the 
Spanish-American war, when it was 
the subject of federal solicitation, 
whereby the shipment of arms and 
ammunition to Cuba was concerned. 
The absence of reefs and rocks is im¬ 
portant, and the inner harbor, which 
has been occupied by vessels of light 
draft for.customs, which, if improved 
by federal appropriations, and the in¬ 
let jettied, will from its location mid¬ 
way of the peninsula of Florida, prove 
of commercial value to the nation. 
The depth of water on the bar has 
been variable, owing to the direction 
of the wind and strength of tides. A 
depth of 24 feet has been known at 
times, although the average is about 
10 feet. 

Immediately opposite the inlet a 
vast salt marsh will permit dredging, 
which will afford docking necessities. 
The prospective taking over of the 
Canal company’s holding by the fed¬ 
eral government in the construction 
of an inland waterway from Cape Cod 
to Key West, will add to the ad¬ 
vancement of the surrounding 
country as much as does. the Dixie 
highway and other extended routes of 
travel to the south. In the effort to 
protect its coast line the federal 
government will, in time, see the ne¬ 
cessity of the inland waterway for the 
transportation of supplies, torpedo 
boats, submarines, etc. This, appar¬ 
ently is but a matter of time. Among 
the greatest necessities of New Smyr¬ 
na in the prospective future are dock 
facilities for commercial purposes. 
Even no.w the landing place is utterly 
inadequate for public use. 

The necessity of the means of com¬ 
munication to New Smyrna beach by 
another bridge is now apparent, and 
a bridge at the foot of Lytle avenue, 
or some other thoroughfare, is one 
that will soon command public atten¬ 
tion. With the improvement of the 
inlet the public will perceive the ne¬ 
cessity of a public dock an acre, more 
or less, in extent, and the only practi¬ 
cal location for the same would be at 
the eastern terminal of the bridge, 
wherever it is decided upon; the 
natural beauty of the west bank of 
the river would be destroyed 'should 
it be permitted on the west side. 


New Smyrna is not'always to hold 
the position she now occupies. There 
are great prospects ahead of her. It 
is evident in the near future the coun¬ 
ty will be divided and in acquiring 
parks and other characteristics of 
a public nature, time should be taken 
by the forelock and every effort made 
to increase the population and ren¬ 
der the surroundings attractive, both 
in appearances and to the prospective 
residents, by that subtle characteris¬ 
tic of the native people of the south¬ 
land, “southern hospitality,” which in 
many instances is unwittingly with¬ 
held. 

The future of New Smyrna is great¬ 
ly in the hands of the municipal of- 
■ ficers, who are virtually the trustees 

I of the citizens. So long as political' 
or sectarian influences predominate 
the public will suffer, and with it the 
municipality. When the inheritances 
of the citizens are bartered in the 
shape of franchises to designing in¬ 
dividuals for a mere pittance compar- 
; ed to the real value, without recourse, 
or bonded indebtedness incurred to be 
liquidated at a more convenient sea¬ 
son in the future, which finally re¬ 
sults in increased taxation for the 
property holders, the end of prosper¬ 
ity is in sight and in proportion to 
the extent of such management will 
the prosperity of the city . be ad¬ 
vanced or retarded. 

A clean city government, divested 
of political influences, operated by 
j those whose property interests have 
not been conveyed to others, citizens 
.j whose moral worth and integrity'are 
1 beyond question, are those who 
j should be selected to manage the af¬ 
fairs of the city of New Smyrna, and 
as the country prospers, so will the 
citly, and to the generation yet un¬ 
born will not be entailed an indebted¬ 
ness that by prudent measures could 
have been avoided. 

The material to be wrought upon is 
constantly with us. An individual 
can truly say: “I was, I am, I will be,” 
all depending upon the present. The 
I future is what we, ourselves, make it. 
It is the same with the municipality 
of New Smyrna, it all depends upon 
the powers that govern. “Seek ye 
this day whom ye will serve, God 
(good) or mammon (selfishness).” 

In conclusion, I predict prosperity 
; for New Smyrna. 

Your 'fellow citizen, 

JOHN Y. DETWILER. 


New Smyrna—Its Present 
Florida, since its discovery by 
Ponce de Leon, in 1512, possesses a 
history, the narration of which, did 
we. possess the translation of records 
now held in the archives of Spain, 
would be replete with deeds of dar¬ 
ing, of bloodshed and privation, the 
major part of which are familiar to 
us, a portion of which is embodied in 
the ^previous paper. 


It might be well to note a few of 
the events which have taken place 
during the English occupation as in¬ 
cluded in the present New Smyrna. 

! for are we not indebted to"T)r. An- 

i 

drew Turnbull for the settlement next 
subsequent to that of Menendez 202 
! years previously? Also to Willian 
Bartram, who published an account of 
his travels in the year 1791, which 
took place in 1777, and was entitled 
“Travels through North and South 
Carolina, Georgia, East and West 
Florida,” during the period of En- 
j giish occupation or before the Flor- 
idas were exchanged with Spain for 
| the Bahamas. This transfer v r as 
J made necessary by the close proxi¬ 
mity of the Floridas to the American 
colonies. Therefore, a forced trans¬ 
fer was obligatory, and the speedy 
evacuation of the English colonists, 
and the consequent abandonment of 
the plantations which soon reverted 
to ruins. 

This was brought about by the ex¬ 
acting influences demanded by the 
crown of Spain. After the evacuation 
by the British in 1784, the treaty 
provided that 18 months be allowed in 
which to dispose of them properly 
and remove their effects. As a conse¬ 
quence the possessions of the English 
colonists were virtually abandoned, 
which accounts for the great number 
of ruins observed in the vicinity of 
New Smyrna. Many of these w'ere 
still in evidence in 1887, and of which 
mention will be made and referred to, 
the date of whic h settlement was 1767. 

Mr. Bartram says of it: “New Smyr¬ 
na, a pretty thriving town, is a colony 
of Greeks and Minorques, established 
by Mr. Turnbull on the Mosquito river 
and very near to its mouth. It is 
about 30 miles overland. New Smyr¬ 
na is built on a high, shelly bluff on 
the west bank of the south branch of 
the Mosquito river, about ten miles 
above the capes of that river, which 
is about 30 miles north of Cape Ca¬ 
naveral, latitude 28 degrees. I was 
here alone about ten years ago, when 
the surveyor run the lines or pre¬ 
cincts of the colony, where there was 
neither habitation nor cleared field. 

| It was then a famous orange grove, 
the upper or south promontory of a 
ridge nearly half a mile wide and 
stretching north about 40 miles to the i 
head of the north branch of the Mo-1 
squito river, to where the Tomoka j 
unites with it. Nearly parallel to the j 
sea coast, and not above ten miles j 
across to .the sea beach. 

“All this ridge was then one entire 
orange grove, with live oaks, magnol¬ 
ias, palms, red bays and other trees. 

I observed then, near where New 
Smyrna now stands,” a spacious In¬ 
dian mound, and avenue which stood 
near the banks of the river. The ave¬ 
nue ran on a straight line back 
through the groves across the ridge, 
and terminated at the verge of nat¬ 
ural savannas and ponds.” 







































The author was pursuing his bo¬ 
tanical studies, investigating the coun¬ 
try, traveling by canoe or small sail 
boat, and procuring his supplys from 
the trading houses, along'the St. Johns 
river, then flourishing under the colo¬ 
nizing patronage of the British gov¬ 
ernment. / 

One hundred and forty years have 
elapsed since William Bartram re¬ 
corded the above narrative while on 
his way to what is now known as 
“Beresford,” owned at present by the 
Starke estate, located then, as now, 
on the St. Johns river, and is the farm 
mentioned in the foregoing citation. 
He also mentions Blue Spring in Vo¬ 
lusia county near DeLand, in the fol- 1 
lowing words: 

“My friend rode with me about four 
miles distance from the house to 
show me a vast fountain of warm, or 
rather hot, mineral water, which is¬ 
sued from a high ridge or bank on 
the river, in a great core or bay, a 
few miles above the mouth of the 
creek which I ascended to the lake 
(Beresford). It boils up with great 
force, forming immediately a vast cir¬ 
cular basin, capacious enough for sev¬ 
eral shallops to ride in and runs with v 
rapidity into the river (St. Johns) 5 
300 or 400 yards distant.” 

The above mentioned lake is sup¬ 
posed to be Lake Beresford, and, as- 
stated previously, is about 30 miles 
from New Smyrna. 

It is presumed .that Bartram, on 
this trip, did not visit New Smyrna, 
having been there ten years previous¬ 
ly, in an unbroken hommock, did not 
discover the old Spanish mission, but 
recognized the avenue that led to it, 
and the prehistoric fort, now the ob¬ 
ject of so much conjecture, was still 
covered with shells. As he expressly 
states there was no habitation nor 
cleared fields. This at the time the 
surveyors laid out the precincts for 
the future town of New Smyrna. Had 
he visited the town under the occu¬ 
pation of Andrew Turnbull, with his 
colony of 1500 Greeks and Minorcans, 
he would undoubtedly have referred 
to the surroundings more in detail. 

These extracts from various books 
at my disposal, serve to connect 
events, if not in succession, they lo¬ 
cate periods in the history of New 
Smyrna and vicinity, and the investi¬ 


gator will find much qf interest in 
persuing the volumes if accessible, 


referred to in. the preceeding paper 


as authorities. 

Thirty-four years’ continuous resi¬ 
dence in New Smyrna, it being the 
hom$ of my choice, its natural, agri¬ 
cultural and topographical advantages 
asserting themselves from the begin¬ 
ning, has in that time proven its de¬ 
sirability as the location for a home 
or source of investment by the rapid 
strides made in its advance, which un¬ 
der less opposing conditions would 
have been much greater. 


It is only within recent years that 
opportunity has been afforded, where¬ 
by the development of the city and its 
environments have been possible. Un¬ 
der the new regime we possess pub¬ 
lic roads, water, electric lights, sew¬ 
ers, in fact nearly all the advantages 
of a northern city. 

Fossilized ideas of false economy 
are being relegated to the background 
and the selfish disposition which pre¬ 
dominated for so many years has giv¬ 
en away to an enthusiastic spirit. 
Truly democratic in its nature when 
the greatest good to the greatest num¬ 
ber is of prime consideration, which 
asserts itself in the acquisition of 
public schools, highways, hotels and 
ether mediums of attraction for the 
great influx of northern visitors, pros¬ 
pective home seekers and tourists, 
three distinct classes, each possess¬ 
ing their value to the several com-) 
munities and the state at large. New 
Smyrna of the present is forging to 
the ifront. Whenever you perceive 
womanly influence asserting itself, 
you will find progress, “For the hand 
that rocks the cradle of humanity al¬ 
so rules the world.” Did the woman 
realize the powerful influence for; 
good in both the home and the com¬ 
munity in which she resides, there 
would be great advancement in pub¬ 
lic.life. 

We have it exemplified to a certain 
extent in the cities of DeLand, Day-1 
tona and even in New Smyrna, where 
by humble efforts great results are 
being obtained. The spirit of altru¬ 
ism, instead of selfishness, should 
predominate, both in secular and sec¬ 
tarian efforts. In giving, the “Wid¬ 
ow’s Mite” is an example, in effort it 
is written: “She hath done what she 
could.” Womanly effort is never 
without results, be they altrustic or 
selfish, humble or exalted. We have 
it exemplified in the efforts of a wo¬ 
man’s club in New Smyrna to advance 
the interests of their home city by 
publishing a circular^ illustrating the 
beauty advantages and objects of lo¬ 
cal interest in the vicinity. Although 
humble in its pretentions, concise 
and truthful in its presentation, it has 
been instrumental in calling the at¬ 
tention of the world at largts, that 
New Smyrna within its environments 
possesses architectural ruins antedat¬ 
ing all others in America, which em¬ 
brace the fort erected by Pedro Men- 
endez de Aviles in 1565-6, and also the 
old Spanish mission contemporaneous 
with the fort and erected in commem¬ 
oration of the Catholic religion and 
in memory of the sovereign king Fer¬ 
dinand and Queen Isabella. 


Not only this, but there is in exis¬ 
tence a restored altar candle stick 
found in the ruins of the old Spanish 
mission by Capt. Mathews, an early 
pioneer of New Smyrna, which was 
inherited by Miss Ida M. Lourcey, 
from her grand mother, “Granny 
Mathews,” as she was familiarly 
known. 

These objects enumerated above, 
which the entire population of New 
Smyrna know exists, are valid reas¬ 
ons why an historical society should 
be organized, embracing the cities of 
DeLand, Daytona and New Smyrna, 
including Volusia county, which 
should be world wide in extent seek¬ 
ing the co-operation of all Americans 
and foreign countries interested. 

Organized upon the same basis or 

I one similar to that upon which the 
Womans’ Mount Vernon Washington 
Home association is based upon, bold¬ 
ly stating the conditions that exist 
and soliciting state and government 
aid in the endeavors set forth. The 
results will eventually prove astonish¬ 
ing. 

Advancing this suggestion to the 
women of Volusia county, and wish¬ 
ing them God speed and success in 
their efforts, New Smyrna and the 
county at large will possess a perpet¬ 
ual present, and a no-second place in 
the history of America. 




















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